20 April 2015 2 September 2016 | 18 seats 2 seats | |
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The next Northern Territory general election, which is scheduled for 22 August 2020, will elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament. All 25 seats in the Legislative Assembly whose current members were elected at the 2016 election will become vacant. Members are elected through optional preferential instant-runoff voting in single-member electorates. The election will be conducted by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission, an independent body answerable to Parliament. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party (ALP) majority government, led by Chief Minister Michael Gunner will attempt to win a second term of government, and will be challenged by the centre-right Country Liberal Party (CLP) opposition, led by Opposition Leader Gary Higgins.
2016 election outcome
At the 2016 election, the one-term incumbent Country Liberal Party (CLP) minority government, led by Chief Minister Adam Giles, was defeated by the Australian Labor Party Opposition, led by Opposition Leader Michael Gunner. The CLP suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in the history of the Territory, and one of the worst defeats of a sitting government in the history of Australia. It was the first time that a sitting Northern Territory government was defeated after only one term. From 11 seats at dissolution (and 16 at the 2012 election), the CLP suffered the worst election performance in its history, winning only two seats. Labor won 18 seats, in the process winning the third-largest majority government in Territory history. Independents won five seats. With only two members in the CLP caucus, Gary Higgins became opposition leader and CLP leader while Lia Finocchiaro became deputy CLP leader on 2 September. Although the independent MPs outnumbered the CLP MPs, on official advice the CLP was recognised as the official opposition.
Additionally, Giles lost his seat of Braitling to Labor, making him only the second Chief Minister/Majority Leader to lose their seat at an election. Along with the seat of Katherine, the election represented the first time Labor was successful in either the Alice Springs or Katherine areas.
With the overall result beyond doubt, Gunner had himself, Natasha Fyles, and Nicole Manison sworn in as an interim three-person government on 31 August until the full Gunner Ministry could be sworn in on 12 September.
The position of Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly has been held by CLP-turned-independent MP Kezia Purick since 23 October 2012. Despite Labor's massive majority following the 2016 election, the incoming Labor government re-appointed Purick as Speaker.